1. Field: The invention is in the field of methods and devices for holding the limbs of a compound archery bow in stressed condition with bowstring and buss cables in loosened condition so that the bow string, buss cable, or eccentrics may be easily replaced or adjusted.
2. State of the Art: Archery bows have always required periodic replacement of the bow string. Modern compound archery bows not only require periodic replacement of the bow string, but also periodic replacement of the buss cables and sometimes require the adjustment of the bow string, buss cables, or of the eccentrics over which the buss cables are sheaved. The replacement of a bow string or buss cable or the adjustment of the bow string, buss cables, or eccentrics cannot be accomplished with tension on the bow string and buss cables. Thus, this tension must be released.
In some compound bows, the bow limbs are adjustably secured to the bow handle by limb bolts which can be tightened or loosened to change the stress on the bow limbs. With such bows, the limb bolts can be loosened to an extent to completely release the stress on the bow limbs and thereby release all tension on the bow string and buss cables. In this condition the bow string, buss cables, or eccentrics may be easily replaced or adjusted. After replacement or adjustment, the limb bolts are tightened to again stress the bow limbs.
The problem with this procedure is that once the limbs are loosened, it is difficult to tighten them again to the exact extent to which they were previously tightened to place the desired stress on the bow limbs and to provide the desired tune for the bow. Also, such process is difficult and time consuming and is not easy to perform in the field.
There are a number of devices currently available to hold the limbs of a bow in a stressed condition to thereby allow the adjustment or replacement of bow strings, buss cables or eccentrics. While these devices are generally advantageous from the standpoint of maintaining the desired adjustment of limb tension and bow tune, they are an additional piece of equipment that must be carried by the archer and are sometimes bulky and inconvenient to carry.
A more convenient way of holding the limbs in stressed condition to take the tension off the bowstring, buss cables, and eccentrics would be desireable.